Tides Of War
by Ark Takahashi
Summary: Plot in story. Please read and review. Looking to get better and make this story into something grand.
1. Pain and a New Friend

Tides of War

Plot:

The Soul Society, The human world and Hueco Mundo see a four-year peace after the failed all assault by the Vandenreich. There is losses on all sides and new friendships begin and relationships form in what seemed like their last moments. Monuments for the fallen heroes got constructed in remembrance of them and the rebuilding process begins

Akarusa Takahashi an academy graduate is still squad less despite having good scores for his tests. He is having to cope with a loss of a friend he once knew and he fell in love with Akarusa tries to find a way to cope with his loss. However when a surge of Hollow attacks threaten the lives in the world of the living. the Gotei 13 call an emergency meeting to discuss what could be causing the surge of attacks. When Akarusa hears of the surge of attacks, he asks to volunteer to help investigate the attacks and gets told not to leave stating that he is not allowed to leave and against orders he goes and starts helping push back the attacks and discovers what is causing them. He knows that the Tides of War are coming quickly.

Chapter One: Pain and a New Friend

Akarusa Takahashi had a problem. As he lay on the small bed of the academy he wonders how long it would take for him to get into a squad. Having recently graduated the Shinigami Academy, he waited for some time to get accepted into a squad of the Gotei 13. Every day he would go to the academy to see if anyone would accept his application to join but so far no one really seemed interested in him. He finally knew what boredom felt like. He looked up at the roof and pulled down a picture of him and a female with strawberry blond wavy hair who stood almost as tall as him, he being six-foot even and her being five foot eight inches the two were smiling as they had their arms around each other's waist. He smiled a sad one as he looked at the date on it which had: 2017/03/03 and their names: Rangiku Matsumoto & Akarusa Takahashi. He touched her face with his thumb as he closed his eyes.

He slowly opens them up as he put their picture back up on a small spot above his bed and got up and put on his Shinigami attire which consisted of a black Shihakusho, a white shirt, black sandals and his Zanpakuto which had a teal blade, a red hilt and a teal sash and wore his Zanpakuto on his back sideways with the hilt facing the right side. He opens the door to the Seireitei and began to walk his way over to where the graveyard of the fallen was at. As he walked on he took in the sight of the Seireitei and all its beauty or what beauty was left of it. The scars of the last war were still visible as he looked around at all the buildings that were still damaged. Even though it has been four years since the Vandenerich attacked the Soul Society they would change the world forever.

Akarusa sighed as he then approached the gates of the graveyard which was near the Sokyoku Hill. As he walks through the graveyard, he notice that on the ground there were leafs that fell from the Cherry Blossom trees nearby. He walked on until he came to a stop at a grave with a tombstone that had the words _Rangiku Matsumoto_ it. He sighed as he knelt and ran his hand over her name and closed his eyes as he choked up about the death of someone he knew and he cared about. He then smiled and started to laugh as he laid a bottle of saké next to her grave and then stood up while as he bought a smaller bottle from his kimono which had pockets in them big enough for him to carry the bottle. He the open the cap and made a toast to her and drank the liquid down. He gaged on how strong the sake was and almost fell down. "How does Rangiku stand to drink these things?" He asks out loud as he shook his head as the drink left a bitter aftertaste in his mouth.

He heard the sound of footsteps as he turn and saw a female with black hair and emerald-green eyes who stood about five foot two inches and had a bundle of flowers with different types of flowers in it. She then places it down on her grave and she starts to snicker as she sees the bottle of saké on the grave. Akarusa looked at the girl with a stupid smile on his face and asked her. "What's so funny?" She would slowly get up and turn around and looked at the male and would point at the bottle and replied. "Did you leave that there?" She asked him while looking at the bottle of saké at the grave. "Yeah I did. She was always trying to get me drunk and play strip poker with her all the time. I kept pushing it off cause even though I was madly in love with her, I just never wanted to do play that until we were together and now I kind of regret it." He said as he slowly started to cry just a bit. But then when she started laughing he shook his head while he tried to smile again. "Well she is known for doing odd ball stuff. Not surprising that she tried to get you to play strip poker with her, but it is funny to know that she did try to do it. How did you know Rangiku?" She would ask him as she leaned against her tombstone as she looked into his dark green eyes with her emerald-green ones.

"I knew her when she was the one that brought me to Soul Society when I died. After my father died, I sought revenge against the men responsible for it. I killed one of them in a swordsmanship tournament. A few days later got gunned down by the gang on the beach right where my mother died. How odd that I would die right where she died at. I guess it's a family tradition huh?" Akarusa said as he looked up at the girl and then nodded at the tombstone. "Anyway after I died and came up to Soul Society, I ended up spending a lot of time with her but one day while we were out walking I ended up shaking and I started to get hungry. But as I was trying to eat it kept getting worst to the point where I had made it rain and then she ends up hitting me in the stomach and I ended up passing out. I woke up three hours later in my home with my head in her lap. I think that was the first time I felt really close to her in such a way." He said as he asked her. "How did you know Rangiku?" He asked as he sat down on the ground and looked up the female. "I was her student for a bit of time. I loved martial arts and swords. I ended up running into Rangiku while I was running around when my Great Grandfather was still around. He was the Captain Commander of the Gotei 13. Anyway, when she saw I had such a will to learn and get better she took me in as her student. However like you I spent a lot of my time with her and I ended up having a crush on her. Though we have tried to take our relationship past teacher/student it never worked out. I would have wished that it did." She would say as she then leaned off the tombstone and would start to walk away.

Akarusa looked at her and smiled. He was checking her out and although he had to admit it. She did in a way look a lot like her. 'I just hope she did not develop Rangiku sense of being a huge tease' he would think to himself. He smiled as he watched her walk off. "What's your name?" He asked her hoping to get her name. She looked back at him and showed a slight smile on her face. "My name is Aya. What's yours?" She asked him as she looked back at him. "Mine is Akarusa. But I like it when people call me Ark so that way people don't have to say my long name." he said as he walked up to her and pulled out the bottle of saké he had drunk from earlier. He pulled out two small teacup size glasses and poured the sake in it and handed one to her. "A toast I think to us for knowing a woman who made our lives better and we both know she's in a better place." He said as he held his cup up to hers and they touched them against each other and then made a toast at Rangiku's grave and drank their sake down and they both left the graveyard together and made their way back to the Seireitei. When they entered the main section they said their good byes and parted ways.

Akarusa made his way back to the Academy Barracks and went back inside and went to sleep. The next morning Akarusa woke up and got up and put his Shinigami uniform on and walked outside and did his usual trek up to the graveyard and spent some time at Rangiku's grave but this time he did no see Aya up there. He paid his respects and went back down as he made his around the Seireitei. He looked around the shops as he stops and inspected the damage that the Vandenerich has done four years ago. He spots a small restaurant that had recently reopened and went inside. He took a seat and notice that some of the people had looked at him odd and they stood up and walked away. It was then something felt odd and slowly he left. He kept on walking and made his way back the academy and went back inside and shut the door as he slowly thought about why those people were acting around him funny. He hoped to avoid a fight with in the Seireitei as it was against the law to fight. He wonders why people were starting to look at him with such hate.

He went back to the graveyard where he could find peace and solitude to have a clear mind to think. "What did I do wrong Rangiku? Did I do something to these people? I wish you were here. I could use you right about now." He said as he silently cried as he rested his head against her tombstone as tears fell to the ground soaking her resting place. He had so much emotion being built up inside that he lost control of his spiritual energy and made it rain by mistake because he could not control his emotions. He fell asleep near her grave unknowing that something evil was about to take root.


	2. Ghosts Of The Past(part one)

Chapter Two: Ghosts of the past

_Heartbeat_

'_Why am I here?'_

**World of the Living: Tokyo, Japan**

**Age: 8**

"Father what's that you're working on?" A younger Akarusa asked as his father was at his shop working on a katana that he has tried to perfect for a long time. His father looked back at his son and smiled as he rubbed his hair which got a laugh from Akarusa and spoke to him with a voice that was calm as the wind. "It's called a Souba son. It's a katana that has two parallel blades. I've tried to perfect the technique for some time and I think I'm close to figuring it out how to forge one." He said to Akarusa as his son started to look around his shop and chimed up at his father. "Do you think you can teach me how to become a forger like you father?" His father looked back at his son and laughed as he got up from his project and smiled. "So you wish to become a forger like your good old dad huh? Okay I'll teach you but it's hard work." He said as ushered Akarusa out of his shop. The next morning he got Akarusa up really early and he had his son start helping around the shop and had him get all the important things in order for him to make the blades. As the years passed Akarusa started to get really good, but his father still could not perfect the Souba.

_Heartbeat_

'_Why can't I get over you?'_

**World of the Living: Tokyo, Japan**

**Age: 10**

"Look son I finally perfected it." He said as he held up a katana but with a second parallel blade next to the first one. "Wow dad that's cool. How did you do it?" Akarusa asked as he study the blade and notice that the weight was about the same as a regular katana. Akarusa swung the sword around trying not to cut his dad or anything in the shop. His father took the blade and pointed at the test subjects that were on the ground. "The trick is son, that in order for the hilt of the katana to support a second blade you must make the hilt lighter, but strong enough to where it will support the second blade but at the same won't snap in half when you're in combat." He said as he took his perfected creation and placed it in a case and smiled as he looked back at his son. "How much longer are you going to take? I was going to go out tonight to celebrate and buy dinner." He asked as Akarusa looked at him. "I'll be an hour. Rest father I'll be there soon. Let me finish this katana and I'll clean up the shop then meet you inside and we can leave." Akarusa said as he went back to working on his katana. While he was working on his katana he thought about what his father said. 'So the trick to making a Souba is the weight huh?' he said as he thought long and hard about it. He thought that might be it but something seemed odd about it. 'Maybe there is something I've overlooked.' He lets his mind wonder off as he finished his katana and cleaned up the shop and left with his father and what would become a strong father/son bond.

_Heartbeat_

'_Leave Me Alone, God Let Me Go'_

**World of the Living: Tokyo, Japan**

**Age: 15**

"Dad I've been thinking about something. I want to become a champion duelist and so I was hoping you would let me enter the local tournament here in the city to try my hand at the combat." Akarusa said while they were eating dinner that night. His father looked at him. Akarusa had mastered everything he could teach him, all but perfecting the Souba. He looked at the flyer on the table and it read:

Show off your fighting skills to the world

_Do you have what it takes to_

_Be the best of the best?_

_If so then we'll be waiting for you_

_Good luck._

It had an address to go to if he wanted to take part. His father was hesitant on letting him go. He sighed as he filled out the slip and allowed his son to go. "But before you go I got one more thing to teach you. I'm going to show you how to make the Souba. The tournament is not for another week so you should master it with-in that time frame." He said as he finished his plate of food and went to the sink and began to wash his plate off. Akarusa fallowed suit and washed his plate off and went upstairs to his room and went to bed. The next morning Akarusa met his father in the shop and smiled. Finally he was about to learn on how to perfect the Souba. His father came walking in threw the door and held his own Souba and looked at his son. "Are you ready to forge your own Souba?" His father asked with a hint of acid in them. He wanted his son ready because it took him forever to master the trade and he wanted his son to master the trade faster than him"Yes father I'm ready to begin. I got everything to begin." Akarusa said as he went to the forge and did exactly what his father did.

_Heartbeat_

'_You were the animal _

_I held the reins while you pulled_

_Living on Hope_

_Keeping your eyes closed.'_

**World of the Living: Tokyo, Japan**

**Age: 15**

Today was the day. The day the tournament was here. Akarusa took a deep breath and handed his entry slip and made his way inside. There were a lot of people in the stadium and Akarusa felt a bit small in a big group. 'Oh well, too late to turn back now.' He said to himself as he waited for his turn to go forward to begin his match. His name got called out fallow by his opponent's and they met in the middle. They both were wearing kimono's his was a teal and red color while his opponent's was a tan and navy blue. The two pulled their katanas in the middle against each other and when the count went to zero they stepped back and began to fight each other. Akarusa looked and study his opponents move as he kept his distance while they kept trying to cut each other. It was a first blood to the stomach rule. He knew that his opponent was overly aggressive and had weakness he could exploit but he had to time it just right. They had lines drawn that marked the out-of-bounds area. Akarusa could exploit that to his advantage and slowly let his opponent push him back. Right when he got near the line he blocked his attack and stuck at his weak spot and was able to prick his stomach. He later wins the tournament and Akarusa and his father go out to celebrate.

_Heartbeat_

'_But I was the Animal_

_And you held the reins while I pulled_

_Living on Hope_

_You kept my eyes closed'_

**World of the Living: Tokyo, Japan**

**Age: 18**

"Mr. Takahashi Could you please come to the main office we need to talk." A voice over the intercom chimed as Akarusa was in school. Akarusa sighed as he got up from his desk and walked toward the principal's office. As he walked inside he had a bad feeling inside. As he got toward the office he walked inside and saw a group of people and he sighed. "What happen?" He asks as he sat down and had a feeling he knew the answer. "We're sorry Akarusa but your father has been murder." The principal said as she sat her desk and Akarusa sighed as he looked down and shook his head. "Did they ever find the people responsible?" Akarusa asked as he looked around at the different people in the room. He figure they were there to give him comfort and do whatever they could. He ignored them. He had only one thing on his mind. He was going to avenge his father's death. Akarusa was about to get up when the principal held up her hand and Akarusa sat back down. "Your father asked us to promote you to the head captain of our Swordsman team and the board thinks it's a good idea. Congratulations Akarusa you'll be the leader of our team in the next tournament. Also we're going to allow you to leave school to go home." She said as Akarusa nodded and put on a fake smile and shook everyone's hand and gathers his gear and ran home as fast as he could. He lived near the beach which was about five miles from the school. 'Maybe if I'm lucky enough he'll still be alive.' He thought as he double timed it hoping that his father was still alive.


End file.
